Key facts on parenthood

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Numbers of live births have risen substantially in England over the past decade, from just over 600,000 births in the year 2000 to 700,000 in 2009. In the past year, rates have risen by 2.4%, from just over 706,248 in 2009 to 723,165 in 2010. (Source: Office for National Statistics, 2011)
London has the highest birth rate in England (defined as the number of live births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44). (Source: ONS, 2011)
The lowest conception rate in England was in the North-East at just 73.1 conceptions per 1,000 women. This region also had the lowest birth rate at 60.2 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years.
(Source: ONS, 2011)
The United Kingdom has one of the highest Total Fertility Rates of all the European countries at 2.0 children per woman. (Source: World Health Organization, 2010)
Most babies in 2009 were born to women aged between 30–34, with 202,457 births. (Source: ONS, 2011)
Mothers have got older. The average age of a mother in 1971 was 26.6, and this had ris...

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